As Sima Yi was apologizing to Gao Rou, Sima Ji, the envoy sent by the court in Luoyang to Wu Chang, was about to arrive in the city of Wu Chang.
The ship sails across the vast expanse of the river, its prow slicing through the undulating waves, creating a continuous spray of water.
As the sun set, the fiery sunset illuminated half of the sky, casting a spell over Sima Ji, who stood on the balcony ship gazing into the distance.
Hu Zong stood beside Sima Ji and asked with a smile, "Zihua brother, I heard that Lord Cao built the Copper Sparrow Tower by the Zhanghe River in Ye City in the past. Could one see such a scenery from the Copper Sparrow Tower?"
Sima Ji shook his head and didn't say a word. Hu Zong wasn't angry either, and accompanied Sima Ji on the balcony ship to gaze into the distance, where the wind from the river made their clothes flap loudly.
Hu Zong did not say "Emperor Wu" but referred to Cao Cao as "Cao Gong." Sima Ji had no interest in correcting him even a little. On the balcony ship in Wu, since Hu Zong's words did not show disrespect, Sima Ji also went along with it.
Seven days ago, Sima Ji bade farewell to Jia Qi and departed from Qiankou Shoal. He rode the oil ship down the Wu River.
Not long after leaving the mouth of the Wu River and reaching the great river, Sima Ji's oil ship was intercepted by a warship from He Qi's forces.
Of the two officials and ten bodyguards accompanying Sima Ji, only two officials were left behind, while the other ten were sent back to the mouth of the Wu River by ships sent by He Qi.
According to He Qi's words, it is not allowed for the troops of Wei to step across the southern bank of the Yangtze River.
He Qi sent a ship to deliver Sima Ji and the officials to Hu Zong in Chaisang. Hu Zong, a close subject of the King of Wu who had long been given the order to receive an envoy, personally led Sima Ji by boat upstream along the river.
In a few days, Hu Zong and Sima Ji talked about many things. After all, they were both scholars and officials, so they could not be as straightforward as those pure generals.
But what surprised Sima Ji the most was when the two discussed famous scholars in Luoyang yesterday.
Sima Ji was surprised and asked at the time, "Who is Li Anguo? Is he also a famous scholar in the great Wei?"
Hu Zong asked with slight surprise, "Zihua brother does not know Li Feng?"
Sima Ji said, "He is Li Feng, the son of the late Marshal of the Guards, Li Yi? How do people in Wu and Yue know about him?"
Hu Zong turned his eyes and immediately smiled, "It was Cao Wei who spread the fame of Li Feng in the past."
Sima Ji's face turned cold, Cao Wei, a native of Shan Yang in Yuanzhou, had once crossed the Yangtze River in white clothing during the Yellow Initial years and after Sun Quan sent tribute to Cao Pi, he met Sun Quan alone and asked for bribes, claiming he could help Sun Quan make acquaintances with high officials in Luoyang.
Sun Quan indeed gave Cao Wei a considerable amount of gold, jewelry, and other goods. Of course, Cao Wei was later apprehended by the judicial affairs officials and was ordered by Emperor Cao Pi to be executed immediately.
Hu Zong brought up Cao Wei, who had an unenviable ending, for what purpose?
Sima Ji could not figure out Hu Zong's intentions for a while and gradually stopped talking to him. In this way, they passed the day roughly.
As the sun began to set, the outline of Wu Chang City appeared in the eyes of everyone on the ship.
After the balcony ship docked at the pier, Hu Zong led Sima Ji and two officials to the inn outside the city. Once they were settled, Hu Zong prepared to bid farewell.
As the sky darkened, Hu Zong bowed at the gate of the inn and said, "Zihua brother, it's late and the gates of Wu Chang are already closed. Please stay here first and wait until tomorrow to enter the city."
Sima Ji could no longer pretend to be deaf: "Thank you for your trouble, and thanks to Weizhu for his care these past few days."
"Since I have already arrived in Wu Chang, when can I meet the King of Wu?"
Hu Zong's face remained amiable: "I will report the news of Sima Ji's arrival to His Excellency first thing in the morning tomorrow. Please wait a moment."
Sima Ji's large boxes, aside from the documents and packages he had brought along, were under the guard of the Wu soldiers.
Hu Zong also very considerately arranged the three of them into the same room.
This was the first opportunity for Sima Ji to be alone with the two officials since he left the mouth of the Wu River. After extinguishing the lights, they lay on their beds and spoke softly to each other.
The officer Du Su, who had just turned thirty, said, "Sima Gong, today Hu Weizhu called Sun Quan 'His Excellency.' Where does this title come from?"
Sima Ji said, "How could it come from anywhere else? That title of usurpation must have been propped up by the officials and scholars of Wu."
Du Su added, "Then I will record this matter and report it to Luoyang when I return."
Sima Ji sighed lightly, "These are trivial matters that can't affect the overall situation. The real difficulty lies after meeting Sun Quan."
"It's also uncertain if we will be able to see him tomorrow."
Du Su, curious, asked, "Then what should we use as our etiquette for the meeting? According to the law of the state, how can we bow to a local ruler?"
Sima Ji slowly said, "What Yubo said is correct, but the King has made it clear to me that when serving as an envoy, we must not let these trivial matters affect the overall situation."
"If we see Sun Quan tomorrow, you and I should greet him according to the etiquette for a Marquis. If the people of Wu are unwilling, we should follow their customs, but not exceed the etiquette for a Duke."
Du Su yawned, "I understand."
Sima Ji whispered, "After traveling for so many days, everyone should get some rest."
...
The second day, inside the palace of the King of Wu.
Sun Quan sat in the hall, listening to Hu Zong explain the details of the envoy from Wei after several days. He then asked, "Weizhu, is it still unclear what Sima Ji's intention is?"
Hu Zong shook his head, "Your Excellence, I truly do not know. However, Sima Ji and his party are indeed peculiar."
"When He Qi intercepted Sima Ji's oil ship at the mouth of the Wu River, he found more than thirty boxes on the ship that were tightly sealed and locked."
"I asked Sima Ji several times, and he only said that the items belonged to Emperor Cao Rui of Wei for Your Excellency. When I asked again, he refused to say anything else."
Sun Quan nodded, "The strength of the Eastern Jiang has been weakened, so seeking peace with Wei is unavoidable. I merely wanted to test Cao Rui, and he could not contain his impatience and sent an envoy directly."
"As You see, what is your impression of Sima Ji's demeanor?"
Hu Zong said, "According to my judgment, he is not as impressive as the previous envoy, the Grand Historian Xing Zhen. However, he is a nephew of Sima Yi, the Premier of Wei. I wonder if he has obtained this mission and if it has any connection to this matter."
Sun Quan said, "Not even as impressive as Xing Zhen? Then there is nothing to worry about."
Hu Zong nodded and said, "When is Your Excellence available to meet him?"
Sun Quan replied, "No rush. Let's put him aside for two days first. I have already summoned Zhuge Jing and Quan Cong back to Wu Chang, and it will take about three to five days for them to arrive. Once I am there, I will discuss the matter with my ministers and then see Sima Ji."
Hu Zong hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Excellence, I have inquired from the officials accompanying Sima Ji. The bodies of the late General of Active Martial Arts and the late General of Northern Peace were buried with the honors of a Marquis by the Wei."
Sun Quan sighed deeply, "It is my fault! I have caused Zhu Xuemu and Pan Wenqin to be buried in a foreign land."
"If I cannot retrieve the remains of the two from Wei this time, I will definitely lead an expedition to Shouchun to reclaim them myself!"
"Zhu Han and Pan Zhang are easier to explain. They were killed in battle in a straightforward manner. But as for Lu Xun, I really don't know how to explain his actions at a moment's notice."
Seeing Hu Zong's hesitant expression, Sun Quan directly asked, "Weizhu, what else is there?"
Now it was Hu Zong's turn to sigh: "Your Excellence, I have learned that after Lu Baiyan was captured by the Wei and submitted to Emperor Cao Rui, he was appointed as the Inspector of Qiang and has already taken office in Liangzhou."
Sun Quan got angry and stood up, pulling out his sword to chop the table: "Isn't my reward to Lu Baiyan heavy enough? Why can't he die for me like Zhu Han and Pan Zhang?"
The sword was unexpectedly stuck in the gap left by the chopping of the table and failed to split it into two pieces.
Hu Zong bowed and said, "Please calm down, Your Excellence. Now that we have the news, we can also send a message to the Lu family."
Sun Quan squinted and said, "I want to exterminate the Lu family! Once confirmed, Weizhu, you will personally handle this matter for gong in Wu Prefecture!"
Hu Zong knelt down and bowed, "Please calm down, Your Excellence! Lu Xun first lost and then submitted, after all, he is just like Yu Ban. Emperor Cao Pi didn't kill Yu Ban in the past, so how can Your Excellence want to exterminate the Lu family?"
"For several months, various counties in Jingzhou and Yangtze have been recruiting soldiers to fill the gaps, and local scholars and people have become extremely exhausted and discouraged."
"To prevent further turmoil, Your Excellency must exercise restraint for a while!"
Sun Quan's face turned as cold as iron, and he tightly grasped the handle of the sword stuck in the table with his right hand, squeezing it even tighter.
After a while, Hu Zong brought Sima Ji and the two officials to the city.
In the carriage, Sima Ji bowed and asked, "May I ask Weizhu, will the King of Wu be able to see us today?"
Hu Zong gently shook his head, "Your Majesty has important matters to attend to today and cannot spare the time for a personal audience with the envoy."
Sima Ji asked, "Then tomorrow? Will tomorrow be possible?"
Hu Zong replied, "Tomorrow may be possible. I will come and find Sima Ji again tomorrow. I have already made arrangements with others. The daily necessities and food will be taken care of. Please do not worry, Sima Ji."
Sima Ji could only say, "It's a trouble, Weizhu."
The next day, Hu Zong said that the King of Wu was busy and had not summoned Sima Ji.
On the third day, Hu Zong said that the King of Wu had important matters to attend to, and Sima Ji remained in the inn.
For the fourth and fifth days, it was the same situation, with Hu Zong giving slightly different reasons each day.
Without an audience with the King of Wu, Sima Ji, who was in Wu Chang but not in Luoyang, had no choice but to be confined to the inn like a soft banishment.
On the sixth day, Zhuge Jing and Quan Cong finally arrived in Wu Chang. Hu Zong also received Sun Quan's order to keep the matter of Lu Xun's submission to Wei a secret from others.
Inside the palace of the King of Wu.
In the main hall of the palace of the King of Wu, the four individuals - Prime Minister Guan Yong, Aide-General Zhang Daozhuang, Left General Zhuge Jun, and Right General Quan Cong were sitting with Sun Quan and discussing matters together.
Sun Quan spoke slowly, "I have called Guan Yu and Guan Huang back from the outside to Wu Chang so that we can discuss important matters together."
"The Wei envoys have been in Wu Chang for several days, and I have not yet met them. What do you gentlemen think? How should we negotiate this peace with Wei?"
Guan Yong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, at present, the most important thing is to rest and recuperate. As long as what the Wei envoy says is not excessive and can be roughly agreed upon, we should negotiate for as long as possible between Wu and Wei."
Zhang Daozhuang remained silent in the hall.
Sun Quan said, "Zhang Gong, why are you not speaking? Do you have nothing to say to me?"
Zhang Daozhuang answered, "Your Majesty, it is difficult for me to say anything about peace in front of You. Please ask Zhuge Ziyu and Quan Zhiguang instead." (This chapter ends.)
